At 88, the first man recorded to have climbed Mt. Everest (along with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay), Sir Edmund Hillary, has died.

As a climber (or I should say former climber), I have of course always held Hillary in very high esteem. But this less for his being the first to climb Everest than for his "style." Hillary never sought the spotlight and lived a life of humility and respect for others.